


Lightning Struck Tower

by AcrylicCobra13



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: 6000 Years of Slow Burn (Good Omens), Biblical Reinterpretation, Communication Failure, Crowley is Bad at Being a Demon (Good Omens), Crowley is Good With Kids (Good Omens), Crowley's Name is Crawly | Crawley (Good Omens), Historical, How Do I Tag, Humor, I Don't Even Know, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), Light Angst, M/M, Slight Blasphemy, Tower of Babel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 19:56:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20784239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcrylicCobra13/pseuds/AcrylicCobra13
Summary: In which an Angel and a Demon watch a tower be smited, lose the ability to talk to one another and the demon to learn all the languages to talk to the not boring angel again.





	Lightning Struck Tower

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, boy first fic for this fandom and I am nervous. Seriously fell hard for Good Omens and have been mad about not discovering it until now but am working hard to catch up. Honestly, love it. Also, I need more of that 6000-year historical cold opening slowburn. So I decided to start with a hopefully humorous version of the Tower of Babel tale and if you squint hard enough, the Epic of Gilgamesh. 
> 
> Thanks to steampowerednightvaler for being my Beta. And the Ineffable Project Discord for inspiring me to write.

2000 B.C. Shinar

"So, what's She angry about this time?" Asked a familiar voice as Aziraphale stopped his fussing and turned to see the demon, still dressed in black cloth as he proceeded to slink over towards him in that ever infuriating gait of his, like temptation incarnate he supposed. Dark clouds began to roll across the sky in the distance as both of them could feel that it wasn't just an ordinary thunderstorm.

"I'm not an Omen of God's wrath you know... I just... go where I'm told." He said as he clasped his hands together as the two human-shaped beings stood on a lone sand dune overlooking the construction of a rather large tower as no one else seemed to notice them. It wasn't like he wanted the humans to fail, that was the other sides job after all.

"Which just so happens to be anywhere She is angry with at the moment." Said the serpent as his yellow gaze shifted to observe the angel in peripherals. The angel couldn't argue with that logic.

"..." Aziraphale didn't say anything as he ignored the demon's jab and continued to observe the people below not knowing that their retribution will be at hand soon.

"Let me guess..." Started the demon a hint of sarcasm in his voice he could pick out. "Nimrod over here telling the people that they are able to bring their own happiness themselves instead of relying on Her, or the fact they weren't very happy about the Flood, shocker, and decide to build a huge tower just to what... protect themselves from another Flood?"

"She promised not to do it again, the Rainbow." Aziraphale tried to point it out as he really didn't want to think his traitorous thoughts that flitted through his head. And while he would like to blame them on the demon and his questions, he had been known to have them about humanity and the Great Plan often enough on his own without Crawly's influences.

"Right because the next time is going to be so much better with setting the whole world on fire and all that." Crawly hissed unhappily at him. Aziraphale finally flinched at the accusation in the demon's tone, it wasn't like he would set the world on fire himself.

"Can we please... not talk about this," Aziraphale said upset as he didn't want to be reminded of that either. "If anything, this is all your doing."

"My doing?"

"Yes, yours, who else whispered in Nimrod's ear? Who knows what blasphemous things you told him to build this... monstrosity," he said gesturing to the large tower being built in front of them.

Crawly hissed a bit under his breath grumbling. "Well, maybe a bit of nudging Nimrod with the ‘being able to obtain your own happiness’ bit, but using it against God... not my style, it's not like I want to watch everyone drown again or anything."

"... You may have a point there." Aziraphale sighed as it was easy to just blame the other side for things but in truth, it was the combination of both of their sides that tend to put the humans in this sort of position. And oddly it was themselves too.

"Besides, I've been following this bloke a town over, Uruk. Suppose to keep an eye on the king there. Heaven is supposed to send something down to deal with him." He explained as the tension wore thin and the mood shifted once again.

"Ah, someone important is to be born soon and I have been chosen to go with him and Sandalphon for a mission." Complained Aziraphale as it was remarkably easy to talk to the demon stationed here on earth like himself.

"Doesn't sound too fun on your end. I think mine has this grand adventure, I think I'm supposed to tempt him by the end of it. Apparently, there is a remnant from the Tree of Life there or something."

A flash of lightning and a long rumble of thunder caught the attention of everyone, mortal or otherwise, to the heavens as the clouds gathered in intensity, blocking the sun and casting a dark shadow across the desert landscape. The winds picked up, howling in anger as it seemed She was about to turn this into a Great and Grand Spectacle.

The two human-shaped beings tensed up as they could feel the Almighty's divine power surge and swell with the thunderstorm before finally lashing out. There was only a bright flash of light followed by the loudest crack of thunder they had heard in their 2000ish years' existence here on earth as it rang even their ears.

Aziraphale squinted as he shook his head, ears ringing as it was quite annoying. He blinked the flash imprint out of his eyes as he looked to see the damage. The Tower had been stuck as some damage had been done but right not nothing of the great show and anger that had been warranted.

**"Well... It could have been worse,"** he said turning to his... acquaintance to see his reaction. The serpent blinked as well, the slits of his eyes widening from their pinpricks as he regained his vision.

_"What was that?"_ Crawly asked looking down at the damage himself, hiding a look of nervous guilt but taking in the minimal damage with a look of confusion. _"Well, I don't sense very many dead..."_

**"Crawly, this is no time for your... your pranks, now speak clearly now, no mumbling,"** he said sternly to the demon. Crawly, on the other hand, turned the look of confusion now over to the angel as he did a rare slow blink.

_"Angel, you're not making any sense,"_ he said looking at him strangely. How rude.

But soon there was a cacophony of noises coming from the city that was drowning out both the thunder and the wind as both supernatural creatures now got a feeling that things were worse than the first glance. People were yelling and screaming in fear and panic.

Both the ethereal and the occult beings raced down the dunes into the city to see if they could help or pretend to in one of their cases. Nothing cataclysmic was happening, no earthquake, the tower even stopped crumbling down and it was the only destroyed building.

**"Oh, oh my, what has happened? I don't see what's wrong and why everyone is in a tizzy?"** inquired the angel as he looked towards the demon hoping he would have answers. But the serpent shot him another queer look before looking back to the crowd before going a bit pale.** "Have you found out what's wrong?"**

"_You.." _he started his forked tongue flicking across his lips. _"You can't understand a word I'm saying to you, can you Angel?"_ Crawly asked staring straight at Aziraphale with his rather... fascinating serpentine eyes.

Aziraphale huffed in annoyance **"This really isn't funny Crawly."**

Crawly rolls his eyes before he taps on the angel's shoulder pointing at the people. He keeps babbling at him and puts a finger to his lips to quiet him before insistently pointing out the people before the oblivious Angel finally gets it, he couldn't understand anyone in the crowd.

Families squabbling around gathering their children, trying to find common words between them, lovers crying, embraced in each other's arms, no longer able to tell the other they love them. Neighbors shouting everyone was in hysterics.

Aziraphale heard Crawly begin to grumble probably to himself... or God for this wrench as he wondered if it was a sign from Her to stop these little chats with the demon and just smite him already(*). A pit formed in his stomach at the thought of smiting the demon. He wasn't like the others he happened across at some points, doing the most awful they could. Crawly tried to do the least amount of damage while looking like he had done the most. While he was generally against lying he really couldn't be bothered to call him out on it, he would rather try and thwart his wiles then dealing with a different demon who would do much worse.

**"Better with the devil you know than the devil you don't."** The angel muttered to himself as he turned to try and find Crawly and make sense of this mess but he couldn't find the shock of red hair anywhere as he began to turn in circles trying to find him. **"Crawly?"**

**"Well that was rather rude of him."** huffed the angel as it seemed his demonic counterpart had left him alone for now, most likely brooding over the punishment the Almighty had dolled out to the humans once again. He wrung his hands worriedly once more as he would try and find the church if Nimrod hadn't dismantled it yet. Although on the way the angel caught sight of a familiar demon ushering some very distraught looking children around, most likely searching for their parents or other guardians while keeping them safe.  


Ineffable.

(*): It was not, She just liked to mess with them sometimes.

**Author's Note:**

> I have decided to just keep it to one chapter as I think it does well on its own, it was still early when they didn't see each other as often. And felt that the rest was a bit much for them at this time. 
> 
> Fin.


End file.
